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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309010">Wanted Man</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nsyncgrrl/pseuds/nsyncgrrl'>nsyncgrrl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Music RPF, NSYNC, Pop Music RPF, Popslash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>1800s, Alternate Universe - Western, M/M, Sad Ending, Slash, Wild West AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 08:27:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,297</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29309010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nsyncgrrl/pseuds/nsyncgrrl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This story takes place in the Wild West. I love this setting -- I have this thing for westerns.</p>
<p>Lance is a member of Crazy Chris's gang of renegade cattle rustlers, and Justin is passing through town on his way to California.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lance Bass/Justin Timberlake</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Wanted Man</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As they rode into the ramshackle town of Defiance, the dust from the trail rising beneath their horses' hooves, the hot Texas sun beat down on the black cowboy hats that shielded their eyes and offered little relief from the heat. Few people lined the wooden boardwalks along the leaning buildings of the town, and those that did turned from the hard gaze of Crazy Chris Kirkpatrick, leader of the ragtag gang of cattle thieves known in Perlman County as the Rustlers. He sat astride a bucking midnight steed which he barely held in check, his friends fanned out behind him, his gaze roaming the streets as if daring anyone to fight. To his right rode Joey Fatone, Jr., a ladies' man and incurable flirt, who tipped his hat at two women as they appeared at the door of Aguilera's Market. With a saucy wink, he blew the younger woman a kiss, and a blush crept into her cheeks as she hid her face behind a lacy fan. Across from him was JC Chasez, a notorious card shark with a poker face and a penchant for drink. At the rear of the group rode Lance Bass, a quiet man with sparkling jade eyes who was rumored to be the fastest draw south of the panhandle. One hand held the reins of his dark horse while the other rested on the ivory handle of the Colt .45 holstered at his hip. No one challenged them as they approached Littrell's Saloon at the far end of Defiance.</p>
<p>Inside the saloon, the air was cooler and filled with the coppery scent of alcohol. The barkeep was Littrell himself, a polished man who nodded at the outlaws as they entered. Chasez took a seat at an empty poker table, cutting the deck of cards already at the center and shuffling them between his nimble fingers easily. Joey Jr. headed for the bar and a soiled dove he favored by the name of Marie, a pretty girl a few years older than himself. She winked at him as he sat down at the bar, pulling her into his lap, his hand sliding beneath her petticoats to rest high up on her thigh. Crazy Chris plopped into a chair at Chasez's table and raised his hand, catching Littrell's eye. Within minutes Littrell had a bottle of scotch in front of the ringleader of the Rustlers, along with three shot glasses wiped clean and waiting to be filled. Chasez waited for Chris to fill two of the glasses before he took the bottle and drank from it lustily. Lance sat down at the table and downed his shot of scotch, his green eyes twinkling as he surveyed the room around them.</p>
<p>It was late afternoon, and the saloon already filled with ranch hands from the local spreads, in town for a night of fun. A few of the more daring men glanced at the outlaws, but the majority of the room ignored them, carrying on their conversations loudly as if the Rustlers who stole the cattle they worked so hard to corral throughout the day weren't even there. To do otherwise would be sure death, and no one wanted to die by the Rustlers' guns.</p>
<p>By his third shot of the scotch, Lance let Chasez deal him into a game of poker. Lance wasn't good at cards but Chasez knew him well enough to know not to play for money, since Lance already lost his last few coins to his friend earlier in the week in a bad spell of faro. Chasez had denied the cards were marked, but Lance suspected otherwise. Tonight he was playing just until some of the locals drank up enough courage to come over and challenge Chasez to a few rounds of whatever game they favored -- Chasez could see through the cards, it seemed, and he never lost a game.</p>
<p>As dusk fell outside, Littrell lit the oily lamps in the saloon, casting shadows into the corners of the room. Lance was nursing another scotch and frowning at the full house in his hand, unsure if he was imagining things or if he was really going to win against the fabled Chasez this time around, when the doors swung open and a tenderfoot came into the saloon. He looked impossibly young, his lips and cheeks a rosy pink from hard riding, and when he slipped off his derby hat, his hair was a mess of golden curls that caught the light from the lamps and shone like newly minted coins. He wore dusty traveling clothes that marked him from back east somewhere. With wide eyes he looked around the room, trying to take in everything at once, and Lance watched him over the fan of cards in his hand, admiring the slim build beneath the store-bought duster jacket and the newly cracked riding boots. When the stranger's gaze settled on Littrell behind the bar, he made his way across the room, a smile already spreading across his face. Lance strained to hear the stranger's words as he cleared his throat. "A glass of water, please," he said, the hint of the south in his voice.</p>
<p>Littrell placed a glass of water in front of the stranger, who drank it greedily as he looked around the room again. A few cowboys in the corner were snickering, probably already pegging him as an easy target and simply working up the courage to bother him. Joey's whore winked at the stranger, causing his cheeks to turn a deeper red. When he turned his attention to Chasez's table, Lance met his curious gaze, surprised at the darkness of those blue eyes. Lance let the corner of his mouth pull into a half-smile, and the stranger smiled back like the sun. Turning to Littrell again, he asked, "Do you hire entertainment for the night?"</p>
<p>Lance watched as Littrell jerked his thumb at Marie. "She's it," he said, "and she's taken."</p>
<p>The stranger shook his head. "No, I mean like ..." He gestured with one hand and frowned. "I'm a singer," he said. "I was wondering if maybe you could let me sing for a few coins?"</p>
<p>Littrell looked around the bar at the rowdy crowd and shrugged. "Why not?" he asked, wiping down the bar. "You play the piano as well? These guys like a lively tune."</p>
<p>"Sure do, mister," the stranger said. Holding his hand out to Littrell, who shook it readily, he said, "The name's Timberlake. Justin Timberlake. I've heard there's a city in California with streets of gold that's begging for entertainers such as myself, and I'm headed that way. But my horse pulled up lame a few miles out of town and I need a place to stay while she heals. I'd appreciate the chance to ply my trade for the honest folk of ..." His voice trailed off as he waited for Littrell to give him the name of the town.</p>
<p>"Defiance," Lance said, his voice low and soft.</p>
<p>The stranger looked at him, surprised to hear him speak. "The honest folk of Defiance, then," he said, smiling again. Lance thought that smile the prettiest he'd ever seen, and he had seen many a smile in his day. "Thank you, sir."</p>
<p>Tipping the brim of his hat at Justin, Lance turned back to his cards. "My pleasure," he said in that quiet drawl of his. Chasez looked at the tenderfoot, then at Lance, and he snickered as he threw another pile of chips into the pot. Lance fought the urge to kick Chasez under the table -- he knew what his old friend was thinking. And damned if he wasn't probably right. Lance watched as Justin made his way through the crowd towards the piano on the far side of the saloon.</p>
<p>"Another one for your collection," Chasez said in that mocking tone he used when he spoke to Lance, as if afraid of Lance's reaction but unable to keep the joke to himself. "You sure do like them pretty, don't you?"</p>
<p>"Shut up, Chasez," Chris mumbled from the depths of his liquor. He turned hard, watery eyes towards Lance and frowned. "At least you don't get us into trouble like that one --" He motioned to Joey with his glass, spilling scotch onto the sawdust floor. "No paw's gonna hold a shotgun to your back so's you can marry his foolhardy son."</p>
<p>Lance laughed, looking over at Joey. His friend was nuzzling Marie's neck, ignoring the fact that she was flirting with a half dozen young men in the room. "At least Marie's safe," he said, shrugging. "He just needs to keep his hands off the cultured women, that's all."</p>
<p>"Them's the ones he favors," Chris pointed out, downing the rest of his drink. The first crystal notes from the piano filled the air as Justin tested the instrument, and Lance frowned that his cards when the din of the crowd seemed to increase. The more Justin played, the louder the cowboys seemed to get. When Justin began to sing softly, his voice was drowned out by the ruckus around them, and Chris laughed. "He ain't getting a penny in this shithole."</p>
<p>Around them, the cowboys laughed at the young tenderfoot, their ignorant voices mimicking his soulful words. Lance could barely hear the sound of his voice, a ray of angelic light cutting through the noise. "Stuff it, pretty boy!" someone cried, and laughter followed as Justin's voice faltered on the opening strands of "Nearer My God to Thee."</p>
<p>"Pick up the pace!" someone else shouted, and then a few cowboys close to the piano leaned over Justin, their fingers reaching for the keys. Discordant notes plucked from the instrument rang in the air, and Justin blushed beneath the rough men pushing him aside. Someone else started up a round of a familiar drinking song, winking at Marie until she laughed like a bell in the crowd.</p>
<p>Lance had had enough. Tossing his cards into the kitty, he stood up and pulled his Colt .45 in one fluid move. Without taking aim, he fired a shot into the air, the loud report silencing the room. Chasez and Chris looked up at him, Joey turned from Marie to study him, Justin's azure gaze enflamed Lance's senses. He met those steady blue eyes and dared another half-smile. The cowboys in the room shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his pale green eyes. "If you don't mind," he drawled, his voice dangerously low, "I'd like to hear the night's entertainment."</p>
<p>Someone tittered, and with lightning speed Lance leveled his revolver at a lone cowboy, sitting with his back to the wall. "The next person who speaks, dies," Lance promised, cocking the gun slowly. The metal clicked loudly in the quiet saloon. When he was sure he had everyone's attention, he lowered his weapon and nodded at Justin. "I'd suggest starting over again," he said, taking his seat. "I missed the first part of your song."</p>
<p>Clearing his throat, Justin ventured, "Thank you."</p>
<p>"My pleasure," Lance said again. With a glare around the room, he picked up his cards and studied them as Justin started playing the piano a second time. His clear voice filled the saloon, and Lance let the music fill the hollow places inside of him. Frowning at Chasez, he said, "I had a full house."</p>
<p>"You lie," Chasez said softly, spreading his hand out in front of him. "<em>I</em> have a full house."</p>
<p>Lance sighed and tossed his cards back down. "You cheat," he said, but his voice held no challenge. This was nothing new to him.</p>
<p>"You should watch your cards more carefully," Chasez pointed out, scooping in the pile of money and chips from the center of the table, "instead of letting yourself get distracted by a pretty face."</p>
<p>Lance bit his lip thoughtfully as he watched Justin sing. He thought maybe this boy might be the one distraction worth losing everything he owned over.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>After the impromptu concert, Justin passed his derby around, not expecting much. The cowboys stared at him balefully, silent and sulking once their fun was ruined by the stranger in black, who sat at the poker table with his friends and watched Justin over the cards in his hand. Justin poured his heart out into the words he sang, each song just for the blonde stranger with crystal eyes, and as the last few notes died away into the quiet saloon, he wondered how he could ever thank the man. He thought about offering to buy him a drink, but there was something sinister about his friends that kept Justin at bay. When his hat came back, Justin was surprised to find it filled with coins, and he flashed a winning smile at the crowd, thanking them for their generosity, before making his way to the bar.</p>
<p>As he passed one table, a dirty cowboy rose to his feet. The man was older than Justin but still a boy himself, despite the hard eyes and rough features. He stood in Justin's path, a challenge written on his face. Nodding at the hat in Justin's hand, he said in a tough voice, "You got plenty of our money now, stranger. What're you gonna give us for it?"</p>
<p>Justin glanced down at the three men sitting at the table, who watched their friend with laughing eyes. Seeing the discomfort flitter across Justin's face, one of the men cleared his throat and said, "Sit down, Nick. You're drunk." He looked at Justin, his grin slipping away, and Justin thought he could see a familial resemblance between him and the man who blocked his path.</p>
<p>"I gave you my song --" Justin started, but the stranger named Nick grabbed his upper arm in a vicelike grip and leered down into his face.</p>
<p>"Maybe there's something else I'll be wanting from you," he snarled suggestively, and his friends laughed aloud at that.</p>
<p>"Let him go, Lachey," someone drawled, and Justin looked past his aggressor and into those green eyes of his outlaw friend. When Nick didn't respond, the stranger placed his hand on the ivory handle of the gun at his hip. "You know I don't bluff, Drew. Call your bastard brother off this tenderfoot now or he dies here tonight with my lead in his back."</p>
<p>The man at the table who had spoken earlier cleared his throat again. "You heard him, Nick." When Nick still didn't move, the cowboy called Drew sighed. "Jesus Christ, Nick, this ain't worth dying over. He's gonna kill you already. Just sit the fuck down."</p>
<p>Glaring at Justin with eyes like flint, Nick whispered, "This ain't over, stranger. I want my money back." He pushed Justin away from him, and Justin hugged his hat close to his chest as he stumbled back.</p>
<p>As Nick slid back into his seat and reached for his glass, the outlaw asked in that low, quiet voice of his, "How much did you contribute, Lachey?"</p>
<p>Nick shrugged. "Two dollars," he muttered, a large sum for a cowpoke such as himself.</p>
<p>The outlaw reached into the hat Justin clutched to his chest. Justin looked into those clear eyes, as bright as filtered sunlight, and when the outlaw winked at him, Justin felt his knees go weak. He fought the urge to grin stupidly at this man who had helped him twice already this evening. Tossing two dollar coins at Nick, the outlaw said, "Here's your damn money. Now carry your ass back to Richardson's ranch before I decide to kill you just for sport."</p>
<p>His friends stood up from the table, hauling Nick to his feet. In response, the outlaw's three friends stood up as well, hands resting easily on the guns at their hips. Tension filled the room as the cowboys weighed their odds in such a fight. Finally Drew sighed. "Come on, Nick," he whispered, tugging his brother's arm as they left the saloon.</p>
<p>"Thank you again," Justin said, watching the outlaw carefully.</p>
<p>"My pleasure," the man said, tipping his hat. He started back to his table and his friends, already seated again for another round of cards. The other outlaw by the bar went back to his exploration of the whore's body, and her giggles were the only sounds in the room.</p>
<p>"Wait," Justin said, reaching out to place a hand on the outlaw's sleeve. The outlaw stopped and looked at Justin's hand, resting on his arm, before raising his gaze to meet Justin's own. Feeling his cheeks heat up, Justin stammered, "I mean, let me buy you a drink, to show my appreciation. Please." He met the outlaw's steady gaze and prayed the man joined him for a glass. Suddenly he didn't want to let this one slip away.</p>
<p>The outlaw shrugged. "Sure," he replied, leading the way to the bar. He took a seat on one of the rocking barstools, and when Justin sat down beside him, his knee brushed along the stranger's thigh. Justin set the hat full of money on the bar between them and caught Littrell's attention.</p>
<p>Pushing the hat over to the barkeep, he said, "Take your share. And thanks for letting me perform."</p>
<p>"Nothing to it," Littrell said, picking out five large golden coins from the hat before setting glasses in front of Justin and his new friend. "But I suspect you wouldn't have made such a killing if not for the Rustlers here." He nodded at the stranger, who smiled enigmatically back.</p>
<p>"Rustlers?" Justin asked, turning to the outlaw.</p>
<p>His friend shrugged. "Just something we go by," he said casually, his eyes hardening as he watched Littrell fill their cups with whiskey.</p>
<p>Justin sipped at the amber liquid trepidatiously. It burned his mouth and seared his throat, but he thought he could probably like the harsh taste if given enough time. He took another sip and watched as the outlaw downed the glass in one swallow. "What's your name, stranger?" he asked softly.</p>
<p>"Lance," the outlaw replied, winking at him again.</p>
<p>Justin dared to reach out and wipe at the trail dust along the sleeve of Lance's black shirt. "I'm Justin."</p>
<p>"I know." Lance looked at him closely and Justin stared back until he thought that green gaze was going to swallow him completely. Suddenly he felt drunk, giddy and sad at the same time, and he didn't know why but he had a sneaky feeling it had nothing to do with the whiskey in his hand. "You staying here long?" Lance asked.</p>
<p>Justin leaned towards the soft voice, his fingers spreading out along Lance's arm in a gentle touch. "Until my horse mends," he said. He saw wisps of blonde hair beneath the black cowboy hat and wanted to touch that, too. He settled for accidentally brushing along Lance's fingers as he reached for his drink again. The dusky skin was surprisingly soft beneath his. "But I could be persuaded to stay longer."</p>
<p>Grinning, Lance said, "I can be very persuasive."</p>
<p>Outside the clatter of bootheels on the wooden walk echoed loudly in the night, the silver song of jangling spurs accompanying the rushed sound. The doors burst open as a cowboy hurried into the saloon, eyes wild, hair disheveled. "Richardson's coming into town!" he hissed, his gaze settling on the Rustlers seated at the poker table.</p>
<p>"Fuck," Lance whispered.</p>
<p>"What?" Justin asked, gripping Lance's arm to keep the outlaw's attention turned his way. "Lance, who's Richardson?"</p>
<p>"Cattle baron around these parts," Lance replied, standing up. He looked at his friend, lost in the whore's petticoats down at the other end of the bar, and called out, "Joey Jr., get yourself together. We're riding."</p>
<p>The shorter of the other two outlaws was already at the door, staring out into the night. "Chasez, hurry the fuck up," he growled, glaring back at the man struggling to shove all of his winnings into a small, burlap sack.</p>
<p>"I'm coming already," Chasez muttered. "Jesus Christ in highest heaven, can't an honest man make a buck these days?"</p>
<p>"You ain't honest," Joey said, laughing. He winked at Justin and then clapped Lance on the arm, pulling him from the bar. "Come on, Scoop. You can come back for dessert later." Justin bit back bitter words that rose in his throat at the remark, but then Lance looked at him with the hint of a smile on his lips, and Justin beamed back.</p>
<p>"I'll see you around, Justin," he said softly, tossing a few coins into Justin's hat before leaving the saloon.</p>
<p>Behind him, Littrell whistled low. "Looks like you made yourself a friend tonight."</p>
<p>Justin sighed as he heard the sounds of the Rustlers saddling up outside. Turning back to the bar, he finished his drink and asked, "Is that a good thing?"</p>
<p>Littrell shrugged. "Could be. Some say he's the fastest gun north of the border. With him backing you, you'll have no problem in Defiance." With a wry smile, he added, "Except when it comes to Richardson and his men."</p>
<p>"The cattle baron," Justin said, and Littrell nodded.</p>
<p>Leaning over the bar, Littrell caught his eye and said, "Richardson owns the largest spread in Texas. His cattle are the best in the whole land. He's got half a hundred men working for him, and it galls him to know that despite everything he does, four lonesome cowpokes known as the Rustlers manage to cut out enough of his herd to challenge his stronghold in the business. He hasn't been able to stop them, and they're ruthless. There's a price on each of their heads. Your boy Lance is worth close to five thousand alone."</p>
<p>"I'd never turn him in," Justin mumbled, thinking of those green eyes and the shy smile. He thought maybe Lance could be worth a lot more to him than five thousand dollars, if only they could get to know each other a little better.</p>
<p>Littrell smiled. "He's in no real danger. Sheriff Dorough may be on Richardson's payroll, but he and Crazy Chris go way back. They knew each other before Richardson even settled here. So the bounty stands, and once or twice some stupid cowpoke tries to collect on it, only to find a bullet in his side for his troubles. Lance is a quick draw." Wiping down the bar, Littrell added, "And he favors you, I can tell. He'll be back."</p>
<p>Justin frowned at the empty glass in his hand and wondered when he'd see his green-eyed outlaw again.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Littrell suggested a room at the Harless Hotel, and with his evening's earnings, Justin took his advice. The hotel was nothing more than a rundown boarding house, but a few coins bought him a private room and a large tin tub, and the promise of hot water for a bath every other night. Despite the late hour, he took his limping horse to the hotel's stables and paid the boy there a hefty sum to rub down his mare and put daily poultices on the sprained leg. The boy, a towhead lad named Aaron, watched Justin as he slipped his saddlebags off the back of his horse. "You that singer from Littrell's?" he asked in a high, perky voice. Justin nodded. "You staying here long?" the kid asked as he helped Justin unsaddle the horse.</p>
<p>"I don't know," Justin admitted. Running a hand down his mare's flank, he said, "I was only planning to stay until my horse got better." <em>But that may change,</em> he thought, remembering the way Lance's crystalline eyes had watched his every move.</p>
<p>Stepping around the tired mare, Aaron looked at Justin with eager, glistening eyes and whispered loudly, "Is it true that the Rustlers were in town tonight? There's talk that the Lachey brothers challenged Crazy Chris to a shoot-out at high noon tomorrow."</p>
<p>Justin laughed. "I think there's too much talk in this town," he said, shaking his head.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Aaron said, laughing as well. "Well, my brother's got his sights set on bringing in them outlaws. Ever heard of Carter and McLean? The Regulators?" When Justin shook his head, Aaron grinned. "I forgot you ain't from around here. Carter's my brother. He told me Mr. Richardson's hiring them to take out the Rustlers."</p>
<p>Justin felt his heart skip in his chest. "What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.</p>
<p>Aaron shrugged. "Mr. Richardson has a price on their heads. Nicky's aiming for that ladies' man, himself, since Mr. Richardson wants him deader than the rest." Lowering his voice dramatically, he whispered, "Joey Jr. took Mr. Richardson's new bride to his bed."</p>
<p>"What do you know of the others?" Justin asked carefully. He wanted to ask about Lance, but he didn't want this gossipy stable hand to spread word that he asked about the outlaw.</p>
<p>Aaron began to rub down Justin's mare. "Crazy Chris runs the gang. He's a wild one -- stay clear of him. Then there's Joey Jr., can't keep his hands to himself, the flirt. And don't play games with Chasez. That man is a killer with cards."</p>
<p>"What about Lance?" Justin prompted.</p>
<p>"He's a deadly shot," Aaron said, almost proudly. "I seen him drop a man from across town. He was on that steed of his, riding like the wind, and this fellow comes jumping out of the shadows, pistols blazing. Lance turns in the saddle --" Slowly Aaron mimicked the outlaw, turning as he drew an imaginary gun from his hip. "He doesn't even <em>aim,</em> he's that good, and <em>bam!</em> Fellow falls like a sack of flour. From across <em>town.</em>" Justin grinned faintly, wondering how true the story was. "He's good, mister. He's real good. I wouldn't cross him, if I was you."</p>
<p>"I wasn't planning on it," Justin replied, smiling at the memory of Lance rushing to his aid back at the saloon. He tipped Aaron another coin for an extra stack of hay for his mare and headed back into the hotel and the promise of his warm bed.</p>
<p>On the way inside, he chanced across a rogue's gallery of hand-drawn wanted posters tacked to the stable door. Justin paused and looked at the rough drawings of the Rustlers. There were Crazy Chris's black coal eyes, boring into him from the tattered sheet of paper. Then there was Joey Jr.'s devilish grin, and the artist who did Chasez captured the mirth hidden beneath his poker face perfectly. And there was Lance, the hat pulled low over the pale eyes, the half-smile that hinted at something more. With a glance back to ensure that Aaron was still busy with his horse, Justin tore the wanted poster from the wall and hurried back to the hotel.</p>
<p>In the safety of his room, Justin smoothed out the creases in the poster and set it on the dresser. Those pale eyes stared at him from across the room as he undressed and crawled into bed. When he blew out the candle on the bedside table, the last thing he saw was Lance's half-smile before falling asleep.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>A few nights later found the Rustlers gathered around a blazing fire. They were camped just south of Defiance, far enough away from Richardson's spread that they weren't too worried about any of his herd straying into their midst. Chasez dealt another round of blackjack, his eyes twinkling with starlight as he watched Joey Jr. frown over his hand. Crazy Chris played a sorrowful tune on a rusty harmonica, staring into the crackling fire with a lost look in his eyes as the haunting melody drifted away into the night. Beside him Lance stood up from Chasez's game and stretched. He nodded down at Chris and said, "I'm going into town."</p>
<p>"I'm coming with you," Joey said quickly, jumping to his feet.</p>
<p>"Sit your ass down," Chris drawled, glaring at Joey balefully. "Your whore can wait another night."</p>
<p>Chasez snickered. "So can yours, Scoop."</p>
<p>Lance lashed out and kicked Chasez's thigh hard with the tip of his worn boot. "Keep your thoughts to yourself," he said, frowning down at his friend, "lest you want me to put a bullet through your skull and rid the world of your cheating ways."</p>
<p>Joey pouted. "Why can't I go into town with him, Chris?" he whined, turning large chocolate eyes to the older man. Flames licked in the depths of his gaze, smoldering from the fire and the lust tamped down inside him.</p>
<p>But Chris wasn't one to fall for Joey's persuasive pout. "Because Richardson wants you," he replied. Blowing on the harmonica lazily, he nodded up at Lance and added, "Scoop's not worth as much as you are to that bastard. You can keep yourself happy without your whore tonight."</p>
<p>Chasez laughed and dealt another round of blackjack. "Do you use your left hand or your right hand for that, Joey?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Fuck you," he growled as Lance saddled up, Chasez's laughter following him as he rode into town.</p>
<p>Defiance was a small town, and Lance knew Justin was staying at the Harless. A few well-placed questions and he found out which room the singer had rented. A quick stop at Littrell's to make sure Justin wasn't there, and Lance headed for the hotel. He found Justin's window, dimly lit this late at night, and he scooped up a handful of small stones, tossing them one by one against the thick glass. After the third ping, Justin appeared at the window, a scowl on his face. Lance stepped out from beneath the shade of the porch and nodded up at Justin. When Justin pushed open the window, Lance called out, "Hey there."</p>
<p>"Hey!" Justin cried. The dusky light of the room cast a halo of gold around Justin's curls, and even though Lance couldn't see his eyes from this distance, his heart melted to see him again. <em>You're falling hard,</em> he admonished himself, but he didn't care. This boy set his senses aflame in a way that no other had before.</p>
<p>Lance dropped the stones still in his hand. "Come down here a minute, Justin," he said in that deep drawl of his. "I want you to ride with me."</p>
<p>Justin's smile lit up the night. Within minutes he was pushing through the door to the hotel, his bootheels clicking along the wooden boardwalk. "Hey," he said a little breathlessly as he stepped up beside Lance. Shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his duster jacket, he shrugged and said, "I was hoping to see you again."</p>
<p>"I couldn't stay away," Lance replied, winking at him. "Defiance treating you good?"</p>
<p>Justin shrugged again. "Okay," he said. A light blush pinked his cheeks. "My day just got better, though."</p>
<p>Lance grinned at him. "Come ride with me," he said, leading the way to his steed, tied to the hitching post in front of the hotel.</p>
<p>"My mare's in the stable --" Justin started, pointing, but Lance caught his hand, the skin warm and soft in his palm.</p>
<p>"My horse is right here," Lance said, pulling Justin closer to him. He laid Justin's hand against his chest and smiled up at him. "Unless you don't want to ride behind me ..."</p>
<p>Justin swallowed thickly. "No," he said, his voice cracking. Clearing his throat, he watched his fingers splay across the rough darkness of Lance's weathered shirt and sighed. Raising his eyes to meet Lance's, he smiled and asked softly, "Where do you want to go?"</p>
<p>"Away from here," Lance replied. He vaulted into the saddle and held his horse steady, offering an arm to help Justin climb up behind him. Lance tried to ignore the sweet ache in his groin when Justin pressed against him, but his stomach fluttered when Justin wrapped his arms around his waist and shifted in the saddle behind him. "Hold on," Lance said, spurring his horse into the night. Justin's fingers slipped around his belt buckle as he rested his head between Lance's shoulder blades. Lance let his horse run wild, enjoying the wind cold in his face and Justin warm against his back.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Lance's steed picked its way through the tall grass of a small hill that overlooked the poorly lit town. As the horse began to graze, Lance slid out of the saddle. With his hands on Justin's waist, he helped him down as well. Before Justin could say a word, Lance took his hand and led him down the gentle slope of the hill, just over the crest. Sitting on the damp grass, Lance pulled Justin down beside him, his arm encircling Justin's waist as the singer sat close to him. Justin wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging them to his chest as he stared down at Defiance. His hip rested against Lance's, the slight touch searing through him like a brand. When Lance's fingers brushed along Justin's cheek, he leaned into the outlaw's hand and sighed. Lance's voice was soft in the warm night when he spoke. "When I look at you, I can almost believe in the stories I hear of happily ever after and dreams coming true."</p>
<p>Justin blushed. "Back home," he said quietly, "everyone thought I was crazy, going west. They said it'd be the death of me. They said the Indians would get me, or the Mexicans, or a dozen diseases." He met Lance's pale gaze and dared to smile. "They never figured on someone like you." Lance laughed. Before he could speak, Justin hurried on earnestly. "I like you, Lance. From the moment I saw you looking back at me, I knew we were meant to be together. There's a wildness in you I want to capture, a hardness I want to soften."</p>
<p>"It's a lonely life out here in the plains," Lance admitted, looking out over the town and the flat land stretching endlessly beyond. "Restless nights in cold blankets, a saddle your only pillow, one ear always open for an ambush. But you don't want an outlaw, Justin. You have too much promise ahead of you to get involved with me and my friends and our petty war with Richardson."</p>
<p>Justin took Lance's hand in both of his and kissed the battered knuckles, his gaze never leaving Lance's face. The unreadable expression in Lance's eyes emboldened him, and he dared to say, "Since I came to Defiance, all I can think of is you."</p>
<p>"You're a dreamer, Justin," Lance said, that half-smile on his lips again. "Dreaming of a city in the west with streets of gold. Weaving your songs for others to dream, too." Studying Justin carefully, he said, "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And when your horse heals, I'm not going to let you just ride out of my life like a tumbleweed in the wind. I'm going to make you mine." Leaning closer, he took Justin's chin in one hand and held him still as his lips brushed over Justin's.</p>
<p>Beneath the sure kiss, Justin's lips parted, hungry for more as the outlaw's tongue burned in his mouth, claiming him.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Before long, Lance was spending his evenings at Littrell's, listening to the soulful rhythm of the eastern tenderfoot. Crazy Chris let the gang unwind in town -- since Richardson moved his herd further north, the Rustlers hadn't cut out any heads of cattle, and the wanted posters displayed around Defiance fluttered in the dry wind like forgotten laundry hung out on the line. Joey Jr. savored each night in Littrell's, his roaming hands never pausing for more than a few minutes on any part of Marie's voluptuous body, and a new influx of cowboys brought more suckers to Chasez's crooked cards. Lance leaned against the bar and watched Justin, his hat pulled low over his eyes as he listened to the golden voice that fell from those full red lips he still felt on his mouth, his cheeks, his neck. Justin's kisses kept him warm at night, in his dusty bedroll beneath the stars, and he vowed to stake his claim on the rest of Justin soon. His thoughts were filled with the heavenly songs Justin sang, his voice breathless in Lance's ear, his hands tentative on Lance's chest and waist. It had only been a few weeks, but Justin's horse had healed and he didn't speak of moving on now. He was too enamored with Lance, and that was just what the outlaw wanted.</p>
<p>When he was finished the song, Justin wove through the half-empty tables to stand beside Lance. "That one was for you," he whispered, touching the outlaw's arm briefly before downing the glass of water Littrell set before him.</p>
<p>"Aren't they all?" Lance asked, his eyes twinkling as he watched Justin's throat reflexively swallow the cool drink. He trailed a finger down Justin's arm, from his shoulder to the exposed flesh of his wrist, drawing a small circle on the back of Justin's hand. "Let me stay with you tonight," he said softly.</p>
<p>Justin's eyes widened. "Lance, I --" Lance raised his gaze to meet Justin's, and Justin blushed lightly. "Please," he said, everything he couldn't articulate rolled into that one word.</p>
<p>Tipping his hat at Littrell, Lance pushed away from the bar. Justin gathered up his belongings quickly, his arms twisting in the sleeves of his duster jacket in his haste to leave. Pausing by Chasez's table, Lance touched Chris's shoulder. When the older man looked up at him, he nodded towards the door of the saloon, where Justin waited. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said.</p>
<p>"You getting lucky tonight, Scoop?" Chasez asked, laughing over the spread of cards in his hands.</p>
<p>"I'm going to shoot him one of these days," Lance told Chris as he glared at his friend.</p>
<p>Chris waved his hand, disinterested. "Promises, promises. Just let me know when you do so I can hold his scrawny ass down. We'll split the reward money."</p>
<p>"If you're going for the money," Chasez said, tossing another handful of coins into the center of the table as the cowboys he played with groaned and threw in their cards, "shoot Joey Jr. He's worth more than all of us put together for sticking it to Kristin."</p>
<p>"Hey, I heard that," Joey growled from where he sat at the bar, Marie in his lap. "She asked me to keep her company while Richardson was in Abilene. I don't see what's wrong with that."</p>
<p>"You never do," Lance remarked as he pushed through the swinging doors, holding them open for Justin. As they walked down the dirt path towards the Harless, he reached into Justin's coat pocket and held his hand. "Don't mind them," he said gently.</p>
<p>Justin laughed. "With friends like those ..." he said, his voice trailing off as he winked at Lance. "How is it you're caught up with guys like that?"</p>
<p>Lance shrugged. "They're the only family I've ever known. I used to work for Richardson's paw, a mean bastard who would just as soon whip you as look at you. I was headed nowhere, with nothing to my name. One day I'm out in the saddle, tending the herd, when a sudden storm blows up, spooking the cattle. I tried my best to keep them corralled but cattle don't like lightning, and they were running right at me. My horse stumbled and fell, and all I could think to do was pull my gun and start shooting."</p>
<p>Justin squeezed Lance's hand in his. "Then what?" he prompted.</p>
<p>"Then out of nowhere this man in black rides out in front of the stampede, a foolish thing to do, really," Lance said, grinning at the memory. "A crazy thing to do. He swoops down and pulls me onto his steed, and that's how I met Chris." They reached the Harless, and Justin led Lance inside. "Chasez and Joey Jr. were two guys he met somewhere along the way. Those two go way back -- I'm not even sure they know how they know each other anymore. Old man Richardson wasn't too pleased I killed over a dozen of his prized steers, so he placed the first warrant out for my arrest. When his son took over his business, Chris decided we should take our own cut of the profits." He waited as Justin fumbled for the key, not letting go of Lance's hand as he unlocked the door to his room. Pushing the door open, he stepped inside, Lance at his heel. Lance noticed the wanted poster of himself on the dresser and pulled Justin into a quick embrace as he closed the door behind them. "That's such a bad drawing," he purred against Justin's neck.</p>
<p>Justin's hands wrapped around Lance's waist. Closing his eyes, he moaned softly as Lance's tongue licked the hollow of his throat. Lance unbuckled his holster and backed away from Justin, watching Justin's closed eyes and parted lips as he slipped the belt over the bedpost. Then he took off his hat and hooked it on the post as well. Justin smiled, a little unsure, as Lance sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off his boots. Unbuttoning his black shirt, Lance shrugged it off and said, "Come here, Justin."</p>
<p>Justin took Lance's hands in his and stood between Lance's knees, looking down at him. With slow fingers Lance pulled Justin's shirt out of his jeans and unbuttoned it, starting at the bottom button and working his way up. As another inch of Justin's flat stomach appeared between the gaps in the fabric, Lance kissed the tender flesh softly. His tongue tickled Justin's belly button before trailing up to swirl around first one pink nipple and then the other. Justin arched into him, the sharp intake of his breath all the encouragement Lance needed to push the shirt and jacket from Justin's shoulders. In a tumbled heap, the clothing fell to the floor.</p>
<p>Lance unbuckled Justin's belt, and his jeans sank down to join the rest of his clothes at his feet. As Justin stepped out of his pants and shorts, Lance laid back on the bed and shucked his own pants off. Taking Justin's hand, Lance pulled him down. Justin straddled Lance's hips as he leaned down over the outlaw, his fingers plucking at Lance's nipples experimentally. When he sat down on Lance's throbbing erection, Lance cupped Justin's buttocks in his hands and leaned up to catch Justin's lips with his own, kissing hungrily as he eased into the singer. With each thrust he whispered Justin's name, and soon Justin's cries of pleasure filled the room, drowning out the squeak of the rusty bed springs and the distant thunder of gunfire.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Bootheels scuffed along the hall outside the door, and then the pounding began, a heavy sound that jarred Justin awake. He felt Lance's arms around him, holding him close, and he turned in the embrace, confused, to find Lance already up, his green eyes wide in the dark room. "Lance?" Justin whispered sleepily as the door shook beneath the hard knocking.</p>
<p>Lance kissed his forehead. "Stay here," he said, distracted. Justin frowned. Where else would he go?</p>
<p>"Lance --" he began again as Lance climbed out of the bed. The outlaw unlocked the door as he slipped into his pants.</p>
<p>The door opened and Chasez fell into the room. He stared at Justin for a second before his gaze found Lance, already half-dressed. "We gotta ride," he gulped, and Justin heard fear in his voice.</p>
<p>"What happened?" Lance asked, buckling his guns around his hips.</p>
<p>Justin sat up in the bed, the covers falling from his naked chest to pool at his waist. "Where are you going?" he asked. Lance winked at him, a slight smile on his face, but he didn't respond.</p>
<p>Chasez walked over to the window, his heavy footsteps echoing through the dark room. "Shit, Lance," he groaned, running a hand down his face as he looked out at the night beyond the glass. "Fuck."</p>
<p>"What happened?" Lance asked again, buttoning his shirt and watching Chasez closely.</p>
<p>Chasez shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "I was dealing faro and this cowboy comes in, a big guy I never seen before. He just looked mean, you know? He says deal me in so I do, and then he starts to win. Okay, fine, sometimes people get lucky, right?" Chasez laughed bitterly. "That's when I pull out the marked deck. No one knows it's marked. Well, no one but you and the guys. But it's not obvious, you know?"</p>
<p>Lance sat down on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots, and Justin reached out to touch his shoulder. Lance kissed Justin's hand where it rested on his arm as Chasez continued. "This guy, he's evil I tell you, he tells me the cards are marked. I say you calling me a cheat? He says yeah, you're a cheat. So I get pissed and pull out my gun. I ain't fast like you but I can hold my own."</p>
<p>"And then?" Lance prompted.</p>
<p>Chasez choked back a sob. "Shit, Lance," he said again, his voice soft. "Crazy Chris pulls his gun, and then Joey Jr. has his out too, and suddenly everyone in that damn saloon is either packing lead or hiding beneath the tables. I tell the guy to take it back and he says no, so I fire. I swear he was no farther away from me than you are now, and I knew I'd kill him but I was so mad I couldn't help it. I fired." He shook his head, incredulous. "And I fucking missed."</p>
<p>Lance grinned and winked at Justin again. "You ain't that bad a shot," he joked.</p>
<p>"No, I ain't," Chasez said. "I got Littrell instead."</p>
<p>Lance closed his eyes, and Justin looked between the two outlaws in disbelief. "Oh fuck," Lance whispered. "You didn't."</p>
<p>"In the throat," Chasez whispered. He looked at Justin with tortured eyes and then turned to Lance and said, "We gotta ride."</p>
<p>"What's going on?" Justin asked as Lance stood up. "What's --"</p>
<p>"Littrell, the barkeep?" Lance asked, and Justin nodded. "He's Richardson's cousin."</p>
<p>The implications sunk in as Justin realized that Littrell was dead by Chasez's hand, and they were already wanted by Richardson for theft but this ... this was murder, and it was much worse than just a few stolen cows. "Lance," he whispered, his voice low so Chasez couldn't overhear, "you weren't there. They don't want you --"</p>
<p>Lance kissed his cheek roughly. "I'm a Rustler," Lance said. "In this town that means the same as if I pulled the trigger myself." His lips closed over Justin's sweetly. "Keep low. I don't want you getting into this."</p>
<p>"Okay," Justin whispered. He caught Lance's hand as he pulled away. Lance looked down at him and Justin asked fearfully, "When will I see you again?"</p>
<p>Kissing him tenderly, Lance whispered, "I don't know. But I'll be back. I promise you, Justin. Nothing will keep me from you. You're mine."</p>
<p>Justin watched the outlaws leave, shutting the door behind them. Outside his window he could hear angry shouts and the sound of galloping hooves. Lying back against his pillows, he pulled the covers up to his chin and imagined Lance's arms around him again, holding him tightly, his deep voice whispering that everything would be alright.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Three days later Justin was rubbing his mare down in the stable when warm hands encircled his waist and a soft voice murmured his name. Turning in Lance's embrace, Justin dropped the brush he held and cradled Lance's chin in both hands as he kissed him passionately. "I've missed you," he whispered into Lance's mouth as the outlaw's hands eased up beneath his shirt.</p>
<p>"Justin --" Lance purred, pulling him close.</p>
<p>Justin bumped into his horse, who shied away from the two men. Pushing away from the outlaw, Justin studied Lance with sad eyes and hissed, "You have to leave. Now. You can't be here. The whole town is looking for you guys, that stable boy says his brother's gunning for you, if he sees you here --"</p>
<p>"I was careful," Lance said, kissing Justin's neck until Justin closed his eyes and moaned softly. His horse nickered a reply. "No one saw me. Justin, I need you."</p>
<p>"Lance," Justin sighed, forgetting the sleepless nights he'd spent worrying about his outlaw lover, the days he lurked at Littrell's hoping to hear something new, dreading that one day the news would come and it would be more than he could bear. He had heard rumors -- Richardson upped the rewards on all of the Rustlers' heads, even going so far as to hire Carter and McLean to hunt them down. The cry for blood burned on the lips of everyone in town, and no cowboy left Richardson's ranch without a gun at his hip. Shots rang out at all hours of the day and night, spooked men shooting at shadows. The Rustlers stayed out of town, hiding in the hills just west of Perlman County, but every day Justin heard exaggerated reports of sightings -- Chasez seen dealing cards at a cantina south of the border, Crazy Chris single-handedly rustling a hundred head of Richardson's cattle, Joey Jr. leaving Marie's bed in the early morning light. Well, that one Justin believed, because he had seen Joey himself, wearing one of Marie's dresses and hiding his devilish grin behind a large feathered fan. When Joey saw him, he winked bawdily, and on his way out of the saloon, he dropped something on Justin's table. It had been the silver cross Lance wore around his neck, and Justin fingered the warmed metal, remembering the taste of Lance in his mouth and the feel of gentle hands on his body.</p>
<p>When he turned to thank Joey, though, the outlaw was gone.</p>
<p>Justin wore the cross now, hidden beneath his shirt so none of the cowboys would ask if he knew where Lance was. He didn't, and he hated that -- if he knew, he would saddle up his mare and ride forever just to find him.</p>
<p>And yet here he was now, in Justin's arms, where he belonged. "Lance," Justin whispered, kissing Lance hungrily. "I want you to leave," he murmured, his lips and tongue saying otherwise. "You need to go, get out of town, please." He sighed as Lance kissed him again, cutting off his words. When Lance pulled back slightly, Justin pleaded, "Lance, I don't want them to get you."</p>
<p>"They won't," Lance promised. His green eyes fixed Justin in a pensive stare. "There's a small trail outside of Defiance, heading west. Pack a few belongings and take your mare and follow that trail out of town. You'll see the Redwater Pass about five miles out. Take the pass until you see the creek." He frowned at Justin. "You listening?"</p>
<p>Justin nodded. "Til I see the creek," he whispered, fisting his hand in Lance's shirt, the other hand holding onto Lance's neck tightly. "Okay, then what?"</p>
<p>"Follow the creek til you see the hills." Lance kissed him again before letting him go. Justin never felt so alone, and his body ached for Lance's touch again. "I'll be waiting there after dark. Make sure no one follows you."</p>
<p>"Okay," Justin said, nodding quickly. Lance tipped his hat at Justin and slipped through the stable doors, and was gone.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Justin's mare picked her way through the stony banks of the creek in the darkness, and Justin cursed his foolish heart for not thinking to bring a lantern along. But he had been so eager to see Lance again that he hadn't thought of anything beyond grabbing together a handful of blankets and a few pillows, and he rolled it all into a makeshift bedroll that he tacked behind his saddlebags before climbing onto his mare and riding out of town. He doubled back on his trail a few times like he read about in the penny dreadfuls from home but no one followed him. He almost wished someone had, because then he wouldn't have to deal with the dark and the bubbling creek so close underfoot, and the dampness that splashed against his pants whenever his mare stumbled into the water ...</p>
<p>Strong hands took the reins from his hands. "Lance?" he whispered, and then he felt Lance's hands on his waist, helping him from the saddle. He let Lance hug him close as he breathed in the outlaw's musky scent.</p>
<p>"This way," Lance breathed into Justin's ear, leading the mare and his lover down a narrow path cutting through chaparral bushes and briars that tugged at Justin's pants as they passed. As the sound of trickling water faded away in the night, Justin caught sight of a small cabin hidden back in the foothills. A low lamp burned steadily outside of the cabin, and Lance's steed was already grazing in the stunted grass. As he led the way inside, he said softly, "The camp's a few miles south of here. I didn't want to bring you there but I had to have you again."</p>
<p>"I brought blankets," Justin said, slipping out of Lance's embrace long enough to retrieve the bedroll he packed earlier from his horse's back. Returning to the cabin, he spread the blankets out on the floor in a large, comfortable pile as Lance turned the lamp down low and placed a beam across the door, locking them inside. Justin sat on the blankets and pulled his boots off. Patting the floor, he said, "Come sit with me, Lance."</p>
<p>Lance kicked off his boots and dropped his guns to the floor. Unbuttoning his shirt, he stepped onto the blankets and knelt beside Justin. Stripping off his shirt, he kissed Justin greedily, his lips warm and damp on Justin's upturned face. Justin unbuckled Lance's jeans, his hands slipping beneath the rough denim material to cup the outlaw's erection. Within minutes Lance had Justin's clothing off, tossed aside in his haste. Justin grabbed fistfuls of the blankets as Lance entered him, moaning his lover's name into the empty cabin. When Lance collapsed on top of him, spent, Justin wrapped his hands around Lance's waist, pulling the blanket around the both of them, and he let Lance kiss away the sweat from his brow. "I love you, Lance," Justin whispered as Lance nuzzled against his neck.</p>
<p>The lamp flickered low, casting dark shadows around the room, and Lance murmured a wordless reply against Justin's skin. Justin heard hooves scuff outside on the ground, the horses nicker softly to each other beyond the cabin door, and suddenly he didn't want to lose this man in his arms, so real, so alive, so full of promise and the night and forever. "Let's ride tonight," he whispered, his voice hot against Lance's cheek. When Lance looked at him, a puzzled expression in his pale eyes, Justin hurried on. "Just us, Lance. You and me and the horses -- let's ride and never look back. Forget this county and Richardson and the warrants and everything."</p>
<p>"Where would we go?" Lance asked softly, tracing the curve of Justin's cheek with one finger.</p>
<p>"Anywhere but here," Justin replied, his mind racing. He felt as if a noose already hung around Lance's neck, and he ran his hands along the smooth skin to assure himself it was naked and bare beneath his touch. His dark eyes searched Lance's face, memorizing the way he looked by this low light, the shadows flickering in his eyes. "I love you, Lance. You don't have to love me back, but I don't want you to leave me, not ever. So let's just ride, you and me, to old Mexico maybe, where the Regulators won't come looking for you. Or maybe California. We can find that city, Lance, the one with the streets of gold I was telling you about. It's there, waiting for us, I just know it ..." His voice trailed off as he waited for Lance to reply.</p>
<p>Rubbing Justin's curls back from his forehead, Lance kissed his nose and whispered, "I've never seen the ocean. I hear it's beautiful when the sun sets, like it's been shot from the sky by a stray bullet and just falls into the water."</p>
<p>"Don't talk about shooting," Justin pleaded. "I don't want to think about anything but you and me and forever."</p>
<p>"And the California sun," Lance added, kissing Justin again. "It's a beautiful dream, Justin. Maybe when this is all over, we can make it come true."</p>
<p>Justin pouted. "Why not now?" he whispered. "Lance, please --"</p>
<p>"I can't leave my friends," Lance replied. He kissed the pout from Justin's full lips. "You know that. Not while this is going on. Not when they need my help."</p>
<p>"I need you, too," Justin sighed, burrowing his head against Lance's chest. "Stay with me. Tonight, and every night, just don't let me go."</p>
<p>Wrapping his arms tighter around Justin, Lance set his chin on the top of Justin's head and sighed. "I won't," he promised.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>Lance looked up from the small fire as Justin stepped out of the cabin. His gaze lingered on his lover's narrow waist as Justin yawned and stretched, reaching for the gray morning sky. He wore a tattered shirt of Lance's which rode up his flat stomach as he stretched, exposing light skin and faint traces of fine hair where his longjohns hung low on his hips. Shivering in the brisk morning air, he walked over the rough stones carefully to stand next to Lance and the warmth of the small cooking fire he knelt beside. "Hey, beautiful," Lance said, smiling as Justin knelt down behind him.</p>
<p>Justin's arms encircled Lance's waist, mindful of the guns already hanging at his hips, and he leaned against the outlaw's back. With a sigh he said, "I love you."</p>
<p>Lance let the smile on his face spread a little wider. "You know," he said, stirring the coffee in the battered pot that hung over the open flames, "I've been thinking, Justin. And I think that there are gold towns out west, aren't there? Towns like Defiance, only full of prospectors instead of cowboys?"</p>
<p>"Oh yes," Justin said, nodding. His body was warm against Lance's back. "Large gold towns. Full of opportunity."</p>
<p>"Maybe I can talk the guys into leaving," Lance said thoughtfully. As Justin had fallen asleep in his arms the night before, Lance mulled over his lover's words. California would be a safe place for him, for all of them -- Joey Jr. would be happy as long as there were women around, and Chasez would have plenty of new faces to rook in a game of cards. And even Crazy Chris would like it out there, he was almost sure of it, robbing the miners and prospectors, and maybe even staking a claim himself. As he poked at the tough biscuits he was trying to cook, he shrugged and said, "Let me talk to them. Maybe we can even leave today."</p>
<p>"You really think so?" Justin asked, his voice hushed. He hugged Lance tighter. "I don't care if they come or not, just as long as you're with me. Let's go ask them now. It's not too early --"</p>
<p>A dry branch snapped in the underbrush that hid the creek from their view, and Lance's hand went to his hip. As he drew his pistol, he stood up out of Justin's embrace. "Stay down," he whispered, and Justin knelt on the ground, trying to see through the prickly growth. He heard a horse's whinny, a low groan, and Lance stepped in front of him to block him from the line of fire. As a horse broke through the chaparral bushes and small trees, Lance leveled his gun at its rider, who sat hunched over with hands clutched to his stomach. His dark shirt was impossibly black and wet, and his hands red with his own blood. "Jesus, Joey," Lance cried, reholstering his gun as he leapt over the fire. Justin stood slowly as Lance grabbed the reins from Joey's limp hands.</p>
<p>"Lance," his outlaw friend whispered, looking up at them with wide, dark eyes. Blood flecked his lips and cheeks, and when Lance offered a hand to help him from the saddle, he slid heavily into Lance's strong grip.</p>
<p>"Justin, help me here," Lance called, and Justin came to his side, struggling to support the dying outlaw. They managed to get him to the fire, and as Lance opened his friend's shirt to check the wound, he said, "Get me some blankets, a few of the pillows." When Justin didn't move immediately, Lance growled, "Now!"</p>
<p>Justin ran into the cabin. Gingerly Lance unbuttoned Joey's shirt until he could see the blood pooled in a deep hole at his side. Frowning, he wiped his brow with his bloodied hands. On the ground, Joey whispered, "I'm a dead man, Lance. Ain't I?"</p>
<p>"Jesus," Lance replied. He took the pillow from Justin's trembling hands and placed it under Joey's head, and then he wrapped his friend in blankets that still held the warmth of their bodies from the previous night. "What happened, Joey?" Lance asked, his voice tight. "Can you tell me that much? Who did this to you?"</p>
<p>"Water," Joey gasped, and Justin handed Lance the canteen from his mare. Lance held Joey's neck as he drank greedily, his body shivering from the rapid cold of death approaching. When he began to choke on the drink, Lance pulled the canteen away. With a sigh, Joey laid his head back on the pillow and frowned. "Regulators," he said softly, his voice distant, his eyes faraway and fading like a dream. "Two of 'em, McLean and that Carter kid. Nicky? Is that his name?"</p>
<p>Justin nodded, his gaze never leaving Lance's face. Lance's frown deepened as the blanket covering Joey began to turn a bright red, the blood from Joey's wound seeping through the thick material. Against the light fabric, the blood looked like roses blooming in the desert sand. "Where's Chris? Chasez?"</p>
<p>"Dead," Joey sobbed. "Fuck, Lance. I rode into town for Marie. I left her bed not two hours ago. Not two --" He sighed again, a breathy sound like wind through a cavern. "I heard the shots before I got there. As I ride in, Chasez's moaning, clutching his chest, as good as dead, and Chris is standing over him, pistols firing. You should've been there, Lance."</p>
<p>"I know," Lance whispered, offering Joey another sip from the cantina.</p>
<p>Joey drank the water hungrily. Looking up at Justin, he whispered, "Your boy is very pretty, Lance. I hope my blood washes out of his curls easily enough."</p>
<p>Justin touched his hair, his hand coming away sticky with blood. Lance turned Joey's face towards him and asked, "What happened to Chris?"</p>
<p>"Dead," Joey said again, his voice as soft as a sigh. Lance had to lean over his friend to hear his last words. "Shot down where he stood. Then Carter turned and got me in the gut. I'm dying, Lance. I'm already dead."</p>
<p>Lance's eyes grew watery. "I was going to ask you guys to come to California with me," he whispered. "We were going to leave tonight. Just us, you could've brought Marie. Justin says the streets out there are lined with gold."</p>
<p>Joey sighed shakily. "Gold streets?" he asked. When Lance nodded, he tried to laugh, but all that came out was a hollow sound like rattling bones. "Gold streets," he whispered. "I'm sure Marie would like that. She always favored pretty things. Never quite understood what she saw in me."</p>
<p>"Joey --" Lance saw the light die in his friend's eyes, the warmth in the brown depths turning hard and cold like clay. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself, but inside he felt something harden and grow cold like Joey's eyes. <em>Chris, dead,</em> he thought, each word a wound in his heart. <em>Chasez, Joey Jr. Dead. By Carter. By McLean. By that bastard Richardson --</em> Opening his eyes, he looked at Justin's scared countenance, Joey's blood bright in his lover's golden hair. He pushed himself up from the ground, his jaw clenching in helpless anger.</p>
<p>"Lance, I'm sorry," Justin stammered, his eyes filling with tears. "It's all my fault. You should've been there -- I'm so sorry ..."</p>
<p>Lance grabbed Justin in a rough embrace. Burying his face into the soft curls, he let the tears fall silently down his cheeks, the fresh smell of his lover's hair blocking out the death around them. Cautiously Justin wrapped his arms around Lance, tentative, unsure. "It's not your fault," Lance whispered as hot tears stung his eyes. "It was an ambush. I'd be dead too."</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Justin whispered again, hugging Lance close.</p>
<p>"But I'm not dead," Lance said, wiping his tears with Justin's curls. "I didn't deal this hand but I'll play the cards." <em>For Chris and Chasez. For Joey Jr.</em> He'd finish the game.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>With Justin's help, Lance buried Joey Jr. in a shallow grave behind the cabin. He removed the gold hoop earrings Joey always wore, pocketing them, and he marked the grave with a cairn of small flat stones from the creek. Then he sent Justin back to Defiance after eliciting a promise that his lover would stay at the Harless, away from Littrell's. The last thing Lance wanted was to get Justin involved in what he had to do. He'd find Nicky Carter first. Then he'd find that weasel McLean. And finally he'd go up against Richardson himself.</p>
<p>When that was over, he'd saddle up and take Justin west. They'd make love on the beach as the sun set into the Californian sea.</p>
<p>After Justin left, Lance kicked out his morning fire and rode the few miles south to where the Rustlers had been camped. Bedrolls were scattered around the small area, knapsacks and saddlebags emptied, their contents strewn across the ground carelessly. Lance's eyes burned with unshed tears as he gathered his friends' belongings -- Chris's silver beaded necklace that his sister sent him from Philly, a pack of Chasez's marked cards, Joey's battered Bible. Slips of paper fell from the book as Lance picked it up, love letters from women all across the plains, snippets of poems and recipes written in Joey's tight handwriting. Playing cards blew like tumbleweed across the camp, and Chris's rusty harmonica wailed bitterly with each burst of wind.</p>
<p>Lance took everything he could find -- the necklace, the cards, the Bible, the harmonica -- all remnants of his friends' lives, all that remained of who they were and what they meant to him, and shoved the forgotten items deep into his saddlebags. Sheriff Dorough would have the bodies by now, and since he and Chris went back a ways, he'd make sure they received a proper burial, outlaws or not. Lance didn't have to worry about that. And Richardson would have paid the bounty on their heads, and probably Joey's too, despite the lack of a corpse. Lance thought he knew Carter's type well enough to know where he could find the braggart now. He climbed into his saddle and with a final glance back at the abandoned camp, he turned his horse and headed into town.</p>
<p>By the time he reached Defiance, dusk had settled over the town and dark shadows clung to the buildings stubbornly. Lance headed straight for the saloon, where cheery piano notes drifted out amid raucous laughter and drunken voices to pool in the empty street. Hitching his horse to the post outside, Lance swaggered into the saloon, his bootheels clicking loudly on the wooden boardwalk. His spurs jingled with a silver song that cut through the noise in the saloon, silencing the rowdy crowd inside. Heads turned as the doors swung shut behind him, and with his pale eyes Lance surveyed the room, searching.</p>
<p>In the corner by the piano, Nicky Carter laughed. Lance turned to look at the young blonde man, who looked back with sparkling eyes that dared him to speak. Tipping his hat back from his brow, Lance made his way to the bar, where Marie sat on a barstool, her kohl-rimmed eyes watching Lance approach solemnly. When Lance stepped in front of her, he said, "Hold your hand out."</p>
<p>Marie complied. Lance placed Joey's golden earrings in her hand. She looked at the shiny hoops and choked back a sob, her hand shaking as she placed it over her mouth. "Joseph," she whispered, closing her fingers over the jewelry.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Lance replied. He turned and pinned Carter with a hard stare. Carter's chuckle died in his throat as Lance narrowed his eyes. "You sneak up on sleeping men," Lance said, his voice low and dangerous. "You think you deserve a reward for that?"</p>
<p>Carter shook his head slightly, but Lance couldn't tell if it was from fear or agreement. Lance crossed the saloon and frowned at Carter, waiting. "Lance," Carter said, grinning broadly. He motioned to a nearby chair. "Have a seat, buddy."</p>
<p>Lance kicked the chair out of his way. "Stand up, Carter," he growled. Carter's eyes widened at the threat curled in Lance's deep voice. When he didn't move, Lance placed a hand on the ivory handle of his gun and said, "Stand up and draw or die in that chair, it's all the same to me."</p>
<p>Carter rose to his feet quickly, knocking the chair beneath him to the floor. "I ain't gunning for you, Lance," he said, his voice scratchy and raw. "Please believe me. I wanted the money on Joey Jr.'s head, that's it. Richardson hired us for him and Chasez. That's it, man. That's it."</p>
<p>"Draw your gun," Lance said.</p>
<p>Carter struggled with the pistol on his hip, trying to get it clear of the leather holster he wore. "Lance, believe me, it ain't --" He raised the gun between them halfheartedly.</p>
<p>With his legendary speed, Lance drew his gun and fired. Carter's mouth opened in a perfect pink O of pain as a red spot appeared high on his shirt, just above his heart. The blood blossomed into a bright flower of death as Carter met Lance's steady gaze before he gasped and fell to his knees. When Lance turned, cowboys shuffled out of his path, clearing the way to the door. Behind him Carter fell to the floor, the thud of his lifeless body loud in the silent saloon.</p>
<p>Outside the cold night air burned Lance's flushed cheeks. He vaulted into the saddle of his horse and spurred the steed away from the saloon. As he passed the Harless, he saw Justin's worried face staring at him from behind the safety of his window. Lance ached to hold Justin tonight, but he didn't want to come to him like this, a killer, blood on his hands. He would avenge his friends and then he would go to Justin. He would lose himself in those golden curls and those jeweled eyes, and he would believe it when that angelic voice sang beautiful dreams to him. He would believe they could come true.</p>
<p>* * * *</p>
<p>In the morning Lance rode out to Richardson's ranch. As his steed trotted up to the main house, he saw dozens of sleepy cowboys milling around outside of the bunk house, some smoking, some drinking, a few laughing quietly. They looked up at Lance's approach, the sleep falling from their faces when they saw him, his black clothes like a bruise against the early morning sky. Lance stopped his horse a few feet from the porch of the main house and called out in a clear, steady voice, "Richardson, you bastard! Get out here now!"</p>
<p>The door eased open and Kevin Richardson stepped out. He wore a tailored suit and a small derby hat that covered his long dark hair. Chewing on the tip of his trimmed mustache, he glanced at the hired hands along the bunk house before turning an oily grin to Lance. "Mr. Bass," he said softly, his strong voice carrying across the yard. "How may I help you this morning?"</p>
<p>"Cut the bullshit, Richardson," Lance growled, dismounting. His hands rested easily on the handles of his guns. "You know why I'm here."</p>
<p>Mrs. Richardson stepped in front of her husband. "Mr. Bass, please," she pleaded, her hands twisting in her skirts.</p>
<p>"Step aside, Kristin," Lance said evenly. "I don't want to kill you too."</p>
<p>"So you'd shoot a woman now, eh, Lance?" Lance turned at the slow drawl to find Alex McLean leaning against the side of the house. Pushing away from the building, he flicked his half-smoked cheroot to the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes dancing beneath his snakeskin cowboy hat. The tattoos along his bare arms seemed to writhe in the dusty morning air, and the handles of his pistols reflected the sunlight like quicksilver. He sneered, a grin pulling at his thin lips. "I wouldn't think you'd be the type to shoot an unarmed man and his wife."</p>
<p>"I don't carry a gun," Richardson said, and to prove it he opened his jacket, baring his waist for Lance to see.</p>
<p>Lance laughed bitterly. "You're the weapon, Richardson. You hire a gun to kill but it's your finger on the trigger. It's your money for their blood." He drew both of his pistols, the sound of the metal escaping leather loud in the quiet yard, aiming one gun at McLean, the other at Richardson. McLean pulled his guns free as well and leveled them at Lance. Nodding at Mrs. Richardson, Lance said, "Stand aside, Kristin. Or I'll shoot you as well."</p>
<p>Mrs. Richardson sobbed but moved away from her husband. "You'd shoot me, Mr. Bass?" Richardson asked, amused. "When you know you're as good as dead if you do? Mr. McLean here will fire when you do --"</p>
<p>"And we'll both be dead," Lance said. He shrugged nonchalantly. "As long as you're dead, you don't win, Richardson. I'll take my chances."</p>
<p>A look of unease flitted across Richardson's face. "Mr. Bass --" he began, clearing his throat. With a quick glance at McLean, he lowered his voice as if he was in the drawing room, a scotch in hand, discussing cattle business with Lance over truffles. "I can give you money," he said softly. "Carter didn't collect on Joey Jr. He couldn't, not without a body, but you told Marie he was gone and I believe you. I'll give you the money and you can take that singer of yours and leave Perlman County behind. What do you say, eh?"</p>
<p>"I don't want your blood money," Lance said, his voice hard.</p>
<p>"Don't take the money, then," Richardson said, that oily grin back on his face. "I'll give you a few steers of your own, something to get started with, you know? Let's end this here, and we can both walk away happy men. No?"</p>
<p>Lance remembered the flirtiness in Joey's eyes, the way Chris laughed at his own jokes, the sparkle in Chasez's voice. They were his friends, his <em>friends</em> -- "No," Lance said, shaking his head. "You killed Joey Jr. and Crazy Chris and Chasez, I don't care if you don't carry a gun. It was your eye in the sights. Their blood is on your hands. The game is over, Richardson. It ends here." He fired the pistol aimed at Richardson's heart.</p>
<p>As Richardson staggered back against the door of his house, his hand clutching his chest, Lance heard another shot, shattering the morning stillness, and cold flames licked along his side. Turning, Lance caught McLean with a bullet in the throat before the hired gun could correct his aim and fire again. McLean spun to the ground as Lance pulled himself into his saddle, his side burning with the brand of McLean's shot. His horse pranced nervously in a tight circle and Lance studied the shocked faces of the cowboys by the bunk house, the woman on the porch, the dead rancher, the dying bounty hunter. Then he spurred his horse, trying to outrun the death that clawed at the wound in his side.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>*Justin ventured to Littrell's for a late breakfast. It was there he heard the news of Richardson's death, the details of the shootout between his lover and the villainous McLean chilling his blood. He choked down his eggs and hurried back to the Harless to pack. He would ride to the cabin where they last made love and wait for Lance to return. He could still remember the feel of warm hands on his body, the strength of Lance's arms enveloping him, his kisses keeping Justin safe and alive, his eyes full of promise and dreams. Justin saw those streets of gold in Lance's eyes. He knew they could make it there, together. Now that Richardson was dead, there was nothing standing in their way.</p>
<p>As Justin slid the key into the lock, the door to his room eased open, the hinges squealing loudly in the quiet hotel. Fear leapt into Justin's throat as he pushed the door open further, glancing inside. "Hello?" he asked carefully, stepping into the room.</p>
<p>Lance lay on his bed, his back propped up against the downy pillows. His pale skin was ashen and gray in the dimly lit room, his black clothes draped over the bed like shadows. His arms were laced across his stomach, and his eyes shone brightly. Twin spots of pink colored his cheeks, making him more beautiful than Justin remembered. "Lance," Justin cried, crossing the room in three steps. He hugged Lance tightly, and Lance moaned softly in his ear.</p>
<p>"Justin," Lance whispered, his voice breathless. His hands slipped around Justin's waist but there was no strength in his grip. Justin felt a warm wetness spread between them, and he pulled back to study Lance's face. He frowned at the sadness he saw in those pale green eyes, the broken promises, the unfulfilled dreams.</p>
<p>"No," he whispered, shaking his head. He glanced down at the damp blackness of Lance's shirt and felt the wind rush out of him. His head spun, his eyes watered, and he touched Lance's stomach gently. His fingers came away red with Lance's blood. "Jesus Christ, Lance, no."</p>
<p>"Justin," Lance said again, his hand reaching to touch Justin's curls.</p>
<p>Justin turned his face into Lance's palm. He felt the warmth of Lance's blood against his cheek and he closed his eyes as the first tear fell. "Jesus, Lance," he whispered as Lance wiped the tear away. "You can't leave me now. Not now. Not when we're free. We can leave. California, the sea, the sunset --"</p>
<p>"Streets of gold," Lance sighed. "Justin, I'm sorry."</p>
<p>Justin let Lance pull him down, and he wrapped his arms around Lance's weakened shoulders. "Lance, you can't leave me. Please don't leave."</p>
<p>Lance's hand smoothed down Justin's tousled curls. "Did Joey ever give you my cross?"</p>
<p>Justin nodded against Lance's chest. He heard the uneven breath rattle beneath his ear and wanted to cry. "I wear it," he said, hugging Lance close. "I'll never take it off. Lance, I --"</p>
<p>"I love you, Justin," Lance whispered. "Don't forget that. Promise me you'll never forget that I love you."</p>
<p>"I won't," Justin whispered. He raised his head and looked into Lance's crystalline eyes. "Lance, please --" He choked back a sob. "I love you, too, Lance. Can't that mean something now? Please don't leave me --"</p>
<p>"Kiss me again," Lance said, his voice nothing but a sigh. Justin pressed his lips against Lance's and watched as the light faded from those clear green eyes, so pure, so full of love. Then he sobbed in the outlaw's arms and knew he'd never see the California sun. He'd never watch it sink into the sea as if shot from the sky. He'd never wash away the blood that stained his hands and curls.</p>
<p>Outside dust spat against the window like rain, the sound filling the room, and Justin knew he'd never love again.</p>
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